Neohelix lioderma

BIO 210

Classification

The name Neohelix lioderma comes from Latin.
The word neo means "to interweave and spin" (Casselman,
2012).
The world helix means "a cylindrical spiral" (Wolfram Alpha).
Derma is a word that means "inner vascular layer of
skin" (Wolfram Alpha). The common name of Neohelix
lioderma is the Tulsa Whitelip (Encyclopedia of Life).
It is given this nickname because it is only found in Oklahoma (Encyclopedia
of Life).

Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Order: Stylommatophora

Family: Polygridae

Genus: Neohelix

Species: Neohelix lioderma (Pilsbry, 1902)

Domain Eukarya: Eukaryotes have nuclei and organelles bound
within a membrane (Hickman, 2012). An example of an organelle is a
mitochondria, which is the powerhouse of a eukaryotic cell (Hickman
et al,
2012).

Kingdom Animalia: Animals are multicellular, heterotrophic
(meaning that they do not create their own food source) organisms
(Hickman et al, 2012).

Phylum Mollusca: Molluscs have a few things that separate them
from other members of Kingdom Animalia. One is the presence of
a mantle and a mantle cavity (Hickman, 2012). The mantle is a
protective sheath of skin that encloses the mantle cavity.
(Gillis, 2012). The mantle cavity contains gills in aquatic
molluscs, lungs in terrestrial molluscs (Hickman et al, 2012).

Class Gastropoda: The Class Gastropoda contains snails, slugs,
and conchs (Hickman et al, 2012). Most gastropods are slow-moving
and sluggish (no pun intended) organisms because they have heavy
shells (Hickman et al, 2012). Slugs are an example of a gastropod
that has evolved to have no shell (Hickman et al, 2012). However,
slugs are slow as well because they have poor locomotor organs
(Hickman et al, 2012).

Order Stylommatophora: Snails in this order are characterized by
having two elongated pairs of tentacles on the head. These
tentacles can be retracted (Grzimek, 2003). One pair has eyes at
the tips and the other pair helps with locating food (Grzimek, 2003).
Additionally, snails in the Order Stylommatophora are pulmonates,
meaning that they have lungs instead of gills (Grzimek, 2004).
This means that they are terrestrial (live on land) instead of
aquatic (live in water).

Family Polygridae: Snails within this family are terrestrial,
pulmonate snails that are found only in North America (Emberton,
1988).

Genus Neohelix: The shells of the genus Neohelix
are very similar to the shells of the genus Mesodon
(Encyclopedia of Life). However, the reproductive anatomy of
Neohelix contains a structure called the ovotestis that is
capable of producing both sperm and eggs (Tompa, et. al. 1984).

Species Neohelix lioderma: This species is found only in
the state of Oklahoma (Encylopedia of Life). Like other
pulmonate snails, it is typically found feeding on the leaf litter
of forest floors (Grzimek, 2003).

Now that you know the taxonomy of Neohelix lioderma, let's look
at its Habitat